Abstract: The San José State University Home Economics Department Records, 1913-1982 (bulk 1977-1980) consist of a variety of administrative
files, correspondence and department evaluations, particularly concerning the termination of the program. The decision to
terminate the Home Economics Department was reached in 1979 and it officially closed in June 1982. Also included in the records
are index cards containing Home Economics Department alumni information.

Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections &Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

San José State University Home Economics Department Records, MSS-2009-02-02, San José State University Library Special Collections
and Archives.

This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.

Organizational History

In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

The San José State University Home Economics Department began in 1911 under the supervision of instructor Maude Murchie and
President Morris Elmer Dailey as a specialization for students pursuing training programs beyond their teaching degree. The
department began as the Household Arts Department, but in 1919 was renamed the Home Economics Department. The decision was
made in 1979 to terminate the Home Economics program due to lack of accreditation and funding, and the department officially
closed in June 1982. The Home Economics textiles specialization was discontinued at that time. The remaining Home Economics
faculty members and curricula, including nutrition and child development courses, were absorbed into other SJSU departments
such as Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging and the Psychology Department.

Bibliography

Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.

Scrapbook, 1936. History of the San José Chapter of the American Home Economics Association of the San José State College.
SJSU University Archives Scrapbook Collection.

Scope and Content

The San José State University Home Economics Department Records, 1913-1982 (bulk 1977-1980) consist primarily of administrative
files, correspondence, and department evaluations. The records contain a written history of the inception of the Home Economics
Department, as well as graduate and undergraduate program reviews, facilities information, records of program graduates, and
index cards containing Home Economics Department alumni information. In addition, the records include files concerning the
decision to terminate the Home Economics Department in 1979, as well as files documenting the actions of the department and
university related to the proposed termination.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1956-1982; and Series II. Alumni Information
Index Cards, 1913-1972.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.

San José State University. Home Economics Dept. -- History

San José State Normal School -- History

San José State Teachers College -- History

San José State College -- History

California State University, San José -- History

San José State University -- History

Education, Higher -- California -- San José

Collection Contents

Series I:
Administrative Files1956-1982

Physical Description: 2 boxes

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of San José State University Home Economics Department administrative files, correspondence, department
evaluations, and plans concerning the decision to terminate the department, which ceased to exist in June 1982.

Arrangement

This series is arranged chronologically by subject.

Boxes 1-2

Administrative Files/Correspondence/Evaluations1956-1982

Series II:
Alumni Information Index Cards1913-1972

Physical Description: 1 box

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of index cards documenting San José State University Home Economics Department alumni information, including
degree achieved and specialization within the department such as textiles, child development, and nutrition.